How to Select and Export Multiple Images In Lightroom

Once you are done post-processing or editing your wedding images, selecting them one by one to export or move can be a Herculean task. One way to improve your speed on a task like this is to select and export multiple images all at once. This quick tip could save you tons of time. And, time is money when it comes to running your wedding photography business.

Being able to select and export multiple images at once can be empowering and doing it in Lightroom is easy.

Learning to select multiple photos in Lightroom can be useful in many ways. You can use it to export, print, or move images. If you want to compare similar shots, you can select multiple photos for it. You can use it to reorder the wedding photos if you use the Custom Order view. You can also use it to sync metadata or develop settings between multiple photos. Whether you select two photos for comparison or multiple photos to sync develop settings, you can save lots of time with this tip.

3 Different Ways to Select Multiple Photos in Lightroom

Whether you want to export in batches or batch edit photos in Lightroom, it all comes down to the same basic principle. All you need to do is to select all your images or choose a specific group of wedding images that you want. Here, we have shared 3 ways to do it.

1. The first way is to select consecutive photos in a row by clicking on one, pressing SHIFT, and then move through the consecutive photos until you reach the last one you want to select and then click on the last one in the group.
2. The second way you can do it is by selecting non-consecutive photos. Click on one, hold down the CMD key in Mac or CTRL key in Windows, and then click one or more photos you want in your group.
3. The third way is to select all photos in a collection or folder by clicking on any image and then pressing CMD-A keys in Mac or CTRL-A keys in Windows.

PROTIP: Though we are talking about selecting and exporting multiple images from Lr, you might be looking for an easy way to import them into it. If you want to speed up your editing workflow by importing images in Lr in a few easy steps, read— HOW TO IMPORT RAW FILES INTO LIGHTROOM.

Lightroom Classic CC Vs Lightroom CC

The 3 ways we mentioned above work well in Lightroom 3, 4, 5, 6, and Lightroom Classic CC. They also work in the newest version— Adobe Lightroom CC but there is a slight difference in steps you need to follow. 

Here are some alternative steps to select and export multiple images when working in these two different versions of Lightroom.

1. Select Multiple Photos to Export in ‘Lightroom CC’ in Grid View

• Click the first photo you want to select. You’ll see a thin white border appear around your selected image.
• Hold the CMD key in Mac or CTRL key in Windows while you click the other photos you want to select. Those images will also get a thin white border once selected.
• ‘Right Click’ on any of the images and then ‘Save To’ your desired folder.

2. Choose Photos to Export in ‘Lightroom CC’ in Filmstrip View

• When viewing an image in Detail view, press the Forward Slash (/) key to open the Filmstrip at the bottom of the screen.
• Hold the CMD key in Mac or CTRL key in Windows as you click the other photos you want to select in the Filmstrip. Those images will also get a thin white border once selected.
• ‘Right Click’ on any of the images and then ‘Save To’ your desired folder.

Now you know how you can select multiple photos to export in Lightroom CC. If you are using Lightroom Classic CC, let’s take a look at the steps you’d need to follow to get the same result.

3. Select Multiple Photos to Export in ‘Lightroom Classic CC’ in Grid View

• Click the first photo in a row of consecutive photos you want to select. Make sure the border around it turns a lighter shade of gray than the rest of the images.
• Hold the SHIFT key while you click the last photo in the group you want to select. The border around your first photo will turn an even lighter shade of gray. The other photos you selected will turn light gray to indicate they’ve all been selected.
• ‘Right Click’ on any of the images and select Export. Then on the sub-menu that pops up click Export.

4. Choose Photos to Export in ‘Lightroom Classic CC’ in Filmstrip View

• In the Filmstrip View at the bottom of the screen, click the first photo in a row of consecutive photos you want to select. Make sure the border around it turns a lighter shade of gray than the rest of the images.
• Hold the SHIFT key while you click the last photo in the group you want to select. The border around your first photo will turn an even lighter shade of gray. The other photos you selected will turn light gray to indicate they’ve all been selected. (You’ll notice in the Grid Module above that the larger thumbnails corresponding to these photos will also be selected.)
• ‘Right Click’ on any of the images and select Export. Then on the sub-menu that pops up click Export.

5. Choose Images to Export in ‘Lightroom Classic CC’ in Map Module

• Find a location on the map by searching for it by name or scrolling and zooming until you see an orange callout box with a number on it. This number represents the number of photos in your library from that particular location.
• Hover over the callout box and a thumbnail preview of the first image in the series will popup above with details of the image file. You can scroll through the images to verify they’re the ones you want to select.
• Click the orange callout box with the number. Now all the corresponding photos from that map location will be selected in the Filmstrip View at the bottom of the screen.
• ‘Right Click’ on any of the images and select Export. Then on the submenu that pops up click Export.

PROTIP: Once You’re done exporting your wedding images, you might want to create a beautiful slideshow of them. If so, then check out this blog post!— TOP 12 WEBSITES TO CREATE & SHARE WEDDING SLIDESHOWS.

Improve Your Editing Workflow for Faster Image Delivery!

At ShootDotEdit we provide professional photo editing services to wedding photographers but we also love helping you with tips to grow your business. We hope our tips and tricks help you improve your post-production editing workflow.
If you want some more tips on exporting images from Lr, you can read— How to Save Time Using Lightroom’s New Multi-Batch Export. To make your images pop check out—ТOP 10 Best Wedding Lightroom Presets in 2020.